BJP activists clash with cops during protest, scores detained

Over 700 BJP activists, marched from Indira Chowk to the Secretariat, raising anti-government slogans and seeking its dismissal.

Jammu |
Published:February 10, 2014 7:52 pm

Police stop the women activists of Bharatiya Janata Party during a protest ‘Secretariat Gehrao’ on the first day of Assembly session, in Jammu. (PTI)

Hundreds of BJP activists clashed with police as they were stopped from marching towards the Jammu & Kashmir Secretariat on the first day of the Assembly session on Monday to protest against the government’s failure on all fronts and seeking its “dismissal”.

More than a hundred BJP men, including party’s state unit chief Jugal Kishore Sharma, Legislative Leader Ashok Khajuria and a few MLAs, were detained for violating prohibitory orders by marching towards the Secretariat, which also houses the Assembly complex.

BJP leaders claimed that police resorted to lathicharge on them, injuring about half a dozen party activists, two of whom – Naresh Sharma and Raj Kumar – had to be hospitalised.

Police, however, denied the claim, and said no one was injured in the incident.

Over 700 BJP activists, led by the state unit president, started a march from Indira Chowk to the Secretariat, raising anti-government slogans and seeking its dismissal for its failure on all fronts.

A large contingent of police force stopped the protesters on Shalimar Road, leading to the clash which continued for around 30 minutes.

“We demand dismissal of the Omar Abdullah -led coalition government for its failure on all fronts,” the BJP state unit president told reporters.

He said that his party’s MLAs would seek an explanation from the government on the floor of the House for its anti-people and anti-youth policies.

He said the use of force and violence “will not cow down and hold back BJP cadres from raising issues of public concern and exposing the government for mis-governance, corruption, discrimination against the Jammu and Ladakh regions and plight of refugees, SCs, STs, OBCs, Gujjars, youths, and farmers”.

Sharma said his party would build public opinion and put pressure on the government to take effective steps to redress the people’s problems.